Automotive vehicles generally include a passenger compartment that is partially defined by a windshield pane supported by a pair of pillars projecting up from a lower portion of the passenger compartment. The pillars are connected to one another at top ends thereof by either a roof panel or header which supports the windshield pane in a window opening disposed adjacent to a top edge of the windshield pane. If the vehicle is a soft top convertible, then only the top edge of the windshield pane needs to be located with respect to the header, however if the vehicle is a hard top with a fixed roof panel, then both the windshield pane and the top edge of the rear window pane need to be located with respect to the roof panel. Some vehicles, primarily some trucks, have quarter windows of fixed glass which require location of top edges with respect to roof panels.
It has been decided with many automotive designs that in order to decrease expense, windshield, rear window and quarter window molding strips may be eliminated because such molding strips in some situations are not considered a necessary design feature. However, molding strips have an added function of locating the top edge of a windshield pane, rear window pane, or quarter panel pane by having spacers unitary with the molding strip to keep the windshield out of direct engagement with the roof panel of the vehicle. It is important to maintain a gap between the roof of an automobile and fixed glass panes in order to prevent creation of mechanical and thermal stresses between the roof panel and fixed glass panes, which stresses can cause fracturing of the fixed glass panes.
One alternative is to position relatively hard locators between fixed glass and roof panels. These hard locators are removed with a quarter turn, however the hard locators may increase mechanical stress between the roof panel and fixed glass by applying mechanical force to the edge of the fixed glass.
In view of the aforementioned considerations, there is a need for a device and method which allows for retention of a gap between the fixed glass of a windshield, back window or quarter window and the roof of a vehicle during installation, without using molding strips and without using elements that could damage the fixed glass.